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After the success of Midnight Cowboy, John Schlesinger returned to personal storytelling in Britain with Sunday Bloody Sunday, a slice-of-life movie about a middle-aged doctor (Peter Finch) and a divorcee (Glenda Jackson) who knowingly share a bohemian lover (Murray Head). Reportedly largely autobiographical, the film is a study of three different characters’ feelings toward sex and love, and there’s no didactic message here, except that intimacy can mean different things to different people, and some people desire it more than others. Jackson’s character decides she wants Head more to herself, while Head is leaning increasingly toward leaving them both, and Finch ultimately discovers how much he misses Head once he’s away. The passage of time has lessened the importance of films like this one, but it remains a historic film for including one of the first nonchalant same-sex kisses in a major film, and for its non-sensational depiction of gay characters and gay love.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director, Best Actor (Finch), Best Actress (Jackson), Best Original Screenplay